Sunday, September 9, 2012

NPL: Dancing with the ghost of truth (Part 1)

It is
sad. Can we start with singing the Nunc
Dimitis for Nigerian football? Its obsequies has begun. I once said it here
that conspiracy of evil doers will destroy the last fabric of this nation which
sports has always represented.

Victor Rumson Baribote NEVER went to a secondary school. The Directorate of
State Security Service (DSS) knows this, investigated and found out the truth
and never made it public because some people influenced the decision.

His
personally filled records when he was contesting for the board membership of
the NPL which metamorphosed into Chairmanship revealed more. He attended a
school that was not on WAEC nor on NECO’s list where he claimed he had his
secondary school certificate.

Blatter, FIFA President...alarmed at revelations?

He
was "crowned" the NPL chairman. He was not elected. He was selected.
Yes, he played for Kwara Bombers with modulated date of birth at the age of 9! What a
record?

Coming
from the warped background of such a ‘leader’ what do we expect from such a
person?

This
is a man who had done the worst damage to the image of the NPL than any other
person can and should ever do. He was involved in several cases of match fixing
with details in the public domain. (See National Pilot report below).

M. K. O. Abiola changed Nigerian football

Ways out: I have looked carefully at the
rules. There is no Board of the NPL anywhere by legal interpretations. Secondly,
the so-called decree 101 is the operative law. That law has empowered the
Minister of Sports to appoint the Executive Secretary of the NPL. This is a
first step. Depending on who is appointed. Any other step or recourse to a
committee to waste time and come up with reports will help our league to go
further down into abyss.

Thirdly,
with the affidavit of the nation’s Attorney General, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) which
an Abuja Federal High Court is expected to sit on by the 20th September,
2012 the NFF DOES not have a Secretary General, nor a board and secretariat. That
becomes the true position of the Federal Government.

Now,
go back to the judgements of Justices Donatus Okorowa and of the Federal High
Court (Abuja and Lagos respectively). The NFA Act 2004 (as amended) is the only
operative law which empowers the Minister of Sports the power to set our
football on the path of honour, integrity and order.

Siddon
look. Wait and watch.

PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS IN MATCH-FIXING SCANDAL

Tuesday, 17 July 2012 06:25 By Ben Nwachukwu

Maigari...leading a body not known to government?

The
storm hitting the Nigerian Leagues has once again moved towards the chairman of
the Nigeria Premier League, NPL, Victor Rumson Baribote, who has been accused
of match-fixing which is a grievous offence in football.

The charges with damning evidences, which are detailed with names
of persons and events, may have given credence to the earlier claim by Iyke
Igbokwe that the NPL chairman was luring him into corrupt practices by trying
to influence the automatic relegation of Sunshine Stars believed to be the base
of his avowed opponent and enemy, Akin Akinbobola.

In a 12-page letter written by Comrade Prince Udofia dated July
11, 2012, and addressed to all board members of the Nigeria Premier League,
titled: ‘Petition Against NPL Chairman Chief Rumson Victor Baribote For
Committing Impeachable Offences And Embarrassing The NPL And NFF With Offensive
Conduct,’ Udofia claimed to be a member of the Association of Professional
Footballers of Nigeria, APFON.

He added: “I am one of the committed people that stood up and
fought for Chief Rumson Victor Baribote in his struggle to wrestle his mandate
from Mr. Davidson Owumi. I am petitioning against Chief Baribote now because
his performance in office has instead of promoting the growth of the NPL as we
planned, caused a serious downslide in the NPL such that people like us are
totally disappointed and have to speak out now.”

Udofia laid 15 grounds of impeachment of his friend, Baribote, in
his letter and claimed: “the unlawful directive given to Barrister Iyke
Igbokwe, vice chairman of NFF disciplinary committee by Chief Baribote to
ensure that Sunshine Stars F.C. Akure was relegated using the two matches: Lobi
Stars vs Sunshine Stars and ABS vs Sunshine Stars; I and Mr. Jonah Chukwu were
there when Baribote was scolding Barrister Igbokwe for not implementing the
relegation of Sunshine Stars at the NFF Disciplinary Committee Hearing.”

Another case he brought against Baribote was the overture he made
to the “match commissioner of the Ocean Boys VS Enyimba match in Yenagoa, to
ensure that Ocean Boys F.C. won the match at all costs (which the Match
Commissioner duly reported in his match report).”

In the third charge of match-fixing against the NPL chairman,
Udofia stated: “Last season, as chairman of Bayelsa United, he bulldozed into a
match involving Gabros FC and Rising Stars FC in a National League match that
did not concern him or his club. Baribote sealed a fifteen million Naira (N15,
000,000) agreement with Gabros FC, who did not have money to play the match to
enable Gabros FC honour the match.”

Reacting, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF president, Aminu
Maigari told Pilot Sports in a telephone interview from Lagos that he was aware
of the petition but disclosed that he was yet to see his copy having been away
to Lagos to receive the new giant trophy donated by Governor Babatunde Fashola
for the Federation Cup.

He, however, said he would take time to study the petition on
arrival and follow the due process to treat it with dispatch.

“I am aware of the petition but you know I am in Lagos as I talk
with you to receive the brand new giant trophy donated to the federation by the
sports-loving governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola for the replacement of
the old Federation Cup trophy but when I return to Abuja, I will study the
petition carefully and act accordingly.”

The NFF president assured that he would not act on hearsay but
maintained that the law would take its course.

In a related development, several calls to the personal number of
the NPL chairman were not answered but an aid to the chairman confirmed to
Pilot Sports that the League body had received the petition.